Copper production in Peru plummeted by 12.5pc to 2.15mn mt in 2020 on an annual basis, according to the country’s Energy and Mines Ministry’s data.
Citing the COVID-19 related shutdowns and restrictions especially in the first half of last year, the ministry noted that mine production of the red metal had fallen sharply during this period. Peru is the largest copper producer in the world after Chile.
The ministry’s data indicated that zinc output in the South American country also fell by 5.3pc to 1.33mn mt last year compared with 2019.